Factbook dossier
Background
Algeria has known many empires and dynasties, including the ancient Numidians (3rd century B.C.), Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, over a dozen different Arab and Amazigh dynasties, Spaniards, and Ottoman Turks. Under the Turks, the Barbary pirates operated from North Africa and preyed on shipping, from about 1500 until the French captured Algiers in 1830. The French southward conquest of Algeria proceeded throughout the 19th century and was marked by many atrocities. A bloody eight-year struggle culminated in Algerian independence in 1962. Algeria's long-dominant political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has since played a large role in politics, though it is falling out of favor with the youth and current President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first-round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the 1991 legislative election led the Algerian military to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. An army crackdown on the FIS escalated into an FIS insurgency and intense violence from 1992-98 that resulted in over 100,000 deaths, many of which were attributed to extremist groups massacring villagers. The government gained the upper hand by the late 1990s, and FIS s armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in 2000. FIS membership is now illegal…
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Area
total : 2,381,740 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Natural hazards
mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; droughts
Population
total: 47,735,685 (2025 est.) male: 24,219,668 female: 23,516,017
Ethnic groups
Arab-Amazigh 99%, European less than 1% note: although almost all Algerians are Amazigh in origin and not Arab, only a minority identify themselves as primarily Amazigh, about 15% of the total population; these people live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers and in several other communities; the Amazigh are also Muslim but identify with their Amazigh rather than Arab cultural heritage; some Amazigh have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has officially recognized Amazigh languages and introduced them into public schools
Languages
Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Tamazight (official) (dialects include Kabyle (Taqbaylit), Shawiya (Tacawit), Mzab, Tuareg (Tamahaq)) major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) 1% (2012 est.)
Environmental issues
air pollution in major cities; soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; river and coastal pollution from dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents; pollution in Mediterranean Sea from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate potable water
Government type
presidential republic
Capital
name: Algiers geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: name derives from the Arabic al-jazair , meaning "the islands," and refers to the four islands formerly off the coast of the capital but joined to the mainland since 1525
Executive branch
chief of state: President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (since 12 December 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Sifi GHRIEB (since 28 August 2025) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister nominated by the president after consultation with the majority party in Parliament most recent election date: 7 September 2024 election results: 2024: Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (NLF) 94.7%, Abdelaali Hassani CHERIF (MSP) 3.2%, Youcef AOUCHICHE (FFS) 2.2% 2019: (FLN) 58.1%, Abdelkader BENGRINA (El-Bina) 17.4%, Ali BENFLIS (Talaie El Hurriyet) 10.6%, Azzedine MIHOUBI (RND) 7.3%, Abdelaziz BELAID (Future Front) 6.7% expected date of next election: 2029
Legislative branch
legislature name: Parliament (Barlaman) legislative structure: bicameral
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$722.912 billion (2024 est.) $699.818 billion (2023 est.) $672.256 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$15,400 (2024 est.) $15,200 (2023 est.) $14,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4% (2024 est.) 9.3% (2023 est.) 9.3% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
Italy 29%, France 14%, Spain 13%, USA 6%, Netherlands 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 24%, France 12%, Italy 8%, Turkey 7%, Brazil 6% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Algerian People's National Army (ANP): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces, Territorial Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard, National Gendarmerie Ministry of Interior: General Directorate of National Security (national police) (2025) note: the Republican Guard is subordinate to the ANP, but responsible to the President; the National Gendarmerie performs police functions outside urban areas under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defense and shares responsibility with the General Directorate of National Security for maintaining law and order; it is comprised of territorial, intervention/mobile, border guard, railway, riot control, and air support units
Military expenditures
8% of GDP (2024 est.) 8% of GDP (2023 est.) 4.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 5.6% of GDP (2021 est.) 6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)